I first would like to preface this
review by stating that the opening chapter of the book is written with an event
of sexual assault , it is by no means written graphically crude or overly
violent; however, for some, reading about these events can be an emotional
trigger, especially when caught unaware, hence my caution.

Ok, now that we’ve dealt with the
serious matters…on with the review. “In a Heartbeat” is the debut novel
and the first book in the Shameful Regret Series by Liz King. Alright,
I’m going to really open up to you guys here, when I first started reading “In
a Heartbeat”, after the first couple of chapters I realized, I didn’t like
it…whew, I’m glad I got that off my chest…I thought, “Ok, get through the book,
give it a quick, vaguely neutral review, get to the next book”. So, I
chart my course and push full speed ahead, but as I delve deeper into this
amazing world created by Liz King, I find myself veering sharply, giddily
off-course in pursuit of Lynae and Conner’s story. Lynae Michaels is a
reserved young woman, seemingly unaware of her graceful beauty, who’s been
living the last eight years with a soul fracturing inner shame. After
high school graduation, Lynae Michaels flees her hometown and a dark secret,
she attends college, focusing her education on a nursing career, while
steadfastly avoiding any and all social situations. Lynae’s dedication
pays off and she is now employed as a registered nurse in a cardiac procedure
lab with her two closest friends, Michelle and Gabbi. Lynae also has
another childhood friend, Sly, well, Sly is more like the big brother she never
had. Michelle and Gabbi are constantly asking Lynae to go dancing with
them to their favorite clubs, they want Lynae to get out and have some fun and
start experiencing life as most twenty-three year old women do. But Lynae
is still avoiding social settings, she doesn’t date and she doesn’t share her
dark secret with anyone. Lynae knows that she can no longer put off
Michelle and Gabbi and when they tempt her one morning with two of Lynae’s
favorite things, coffee and gummy bears, Lynae finally surrenders to the
awesome power of peer pressure, caffeine and a bear shaped sugar rush.
When the ladies arrive at Club Metro, Michelle and Gabbi are doubly excited
that in addition to Lynae finally accepting their offer to join them, a new
band that Gabbi really loves, Shameful Regret, is playing at the club that
night. Lynae’s anxiety and discomfort ratchet up shortly after entering
Metro, and only increase when she locks onto a pair of intense green eyes
staring at her from the stage across the club. Soon Lynae realizes that
those sexy green eyes of Mr. Brooding Stare belong to Conner Reeves, the lead
singer of Shameful Regret. Lynae literally runs into Conner after the
band finishes their set and so begins the wild, passionate and sometimes heartbreaking
journey of Lynae and Conner.

I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic
between all the characters, in terms of friendship, Liz King has held true the
statement that quality over quantity should indeed by treasured. Lynae
and Conner both had a very small group of friends, but the level of love, trust
and loyalty was so evident, it is almost tangible. A phone call, with a
simple plea of “I need you.” was all that was needed to drop everything, drive
for hours to be there for the each other. And yes, I’ll admit I had to
run for tissues more than once, shook my fist at Conner and Lynae, and it’s
possible, even giggled once or twice before I had finished reading “In a
Heartbeat”. If there was any change or editing that would or should be
done, my only recommendation to Liz King, and this is nothing involving the
storyline or dynamic of the book, just some minor spelling and grammatical
errors, which can be corrected in editing, I just don’t want to see a wonderful
take a turn at the “piñata” by the grammar and spelling police, you know
they’re out there! Other than that, Liz King has done an outstanding job
in developing the characters for “In a Heartbeat”, the realism and depth she
attained for Lynae and Connor is truly amazing. For me, someone that,
admittedly rushed to judgment a little too soon for this book, it speaks
volumes that the author has me turn a complete one-eighty to not only sing the
book’s praises, but eagerly await the second book in The Shameful Regret Series
to discover what next awaits Lynae and Conner. Bravo Liz King, Bravo!
~Kathy

Liz King is a wife, nurse and romance book blogger. In A
Heartbeat is her debut novel. She lives in South Carolina with her family.
Reading is a passion of hers, and writing is always something she wanted to do.
Liz is addicted to gummy bears and coffee, even though her family and friends
don’t think she needs caffeine to add to her already energetic personality.
She’s obsessed with the 1980’s and loves to sing even though she can’t carry a
tune. Liz loves college football and hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the
Great Smoky Mountains with her husband.

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About Me

We're five book loving ladies who started out as strangers and bonded over our shared love of reading. We're here to give you honest reviews, share up and coming authors, host fun giveaways, and have discussions on the books we read. We LOVE feedback and getting comments/messages from you! Thanks for all the love!